Entrepreneurs = Lovers ?

Yesterday’s post on commitment included two categories of commitment, of entrepreneurs towards their ideas and of lovers towards their loved ones. @angadn posted a comment saying the distinction between entrepreneurs and lovers was misplaced. Jotting down my thoughts about the same today.

An entrepreneur is a person in love of an idea, a concept and wants to bring it to life. An entrepreneur is a creator, an inventor. Unafraid to tinker and make his creation better and better. An entrepreneur has no limitations to tear down the idea to bare basics and rebuild it over and over again until it is perfect. An entrepreneur’s ‘love’ is about achieving a goal. It is about perfection. An entrepreneur is typically impatient, wants results now. Entrepreneur is in full control, and that’s where the high lies: in commanding the relation with the idea to new heights.

A lover on the other hand is in love with another person. This changes the dynamics completely! There is no creation or invention here, but tuning into the wavelengths of another human. Love can make you better if you want to improve for your loved one, but that’s not guaranteed. You can’t force changes on other person, even if you know it will make them a better person right away. A lover’s love is about ‘being there’ emotionally and physically for their significant others. This love does not try to dissect the personality forcibly, there’s always a willful change; force ends in disaster. A lover is patient. A lover shares control over the relation, and it is as much about taking control as it is about giving in for bigger picture. The high is when the lover’s love is reciprocated by the other person. It’s the orgasm of a relation, to be loved back just the same.

That brings in the conclusion…

entrepreneurs ≠ lovers

You have to shift the mindset between entrepreneur and lover when dealing with ideas and people. And with this realization, it suddenly becomes clear why a lot of entrepreneurs who have such passion towards their work have disastrous love lives, their attitudes towards ideas will never win a person. They are not bad people, they are simply applying the wrong concepts.

The correct way ahead as I see it is to realize this distinction and shift gears gracefully when dealing with ideas and people.

Please leave a comment if you agree/disagree or can add to these thoughts!